Birds
Kingfisher
A small fish eating bird, with a vivid blue green body and golden orange breast, this combined with it’s fast and low flight over water make it easily identifiable. It eats mainly fish, but also invertbrates.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/k/kingfisher/index.asp
Dipper
A small but plump bird, with a white throat a black back, and a very dark brown head. This bird has a whirring flight and walks under water to find it’s invertebrate prey. A very good sign of water quality.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/d/dipper/index.asp
Heron
A large Grey Bird with a long legs, a white neck and a black strip on the side of the head. It can be seen standing motionless or stalking it’s prey in rivers and
streams. It’s diet consists mainly of Fish, inverterbrates, amphibians, small
mammals and has also been known to eat other birds young.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greyheron/index.asp
The Little Grebe
A small bird that is often overlooked due to it’s shy and secretive nature. It is capable of diving and swimming underwater, and often evades threat in this way. It is dark brown/grey with a chestnut chin
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/littlegrebe/index.asp
Coot
A medium sized black bird, easily distinguished from it’s cousin the Moorhen by it’s white beak and shield above the beak. It feeds mainly on water plants, invertebrates and snails.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/coot/index.asp
Moorhen
Very similar to the Coot, but smaller. It also has a red beak. It feeds on Water plants, grasses, seeds, insects, snails and worms.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/moorhen/index.asp
Swan
This large white bird is almost unmistakable with its “S” shaped neck and orange bill with black at the base of it. It eats, water plants, invertebrates and snails
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/muteswan/index.asp
Mallard Duck
One of the most common birds to be seen on the Ribble Catchment. The male has an effervescent green head with a yellowish bill where as the female it mottled brown with an orange bill. It can be seen year round and feeds on water plants, grass, seeds, acorns, invertebrates and Bread!!
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/mallard/index.asp
Goosander
A sawbill duck, so called because of it’s sharp serated bill. They are mostly white, males have a green head and the females a redish-brown head. They feed on large quantities of fish, specifically salmonid species.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goosander/index.asp
Sand Martin
A small acrobatic bird, with a white underside, but dark brown wings and upper body. Sand martins nest in banks and sand cliffs. They over winter in affrica and spend the summer in Europe. They feed on flying insects.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/sandmartin/index.asp
Swallow
A small bird similar to the sand martin. But with long streamers in the tail, and is more blue black. It feeds on flying insects above water or in open pasture.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/swallow/index.asp